Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-02-16
PHILLIS wHEATLY.
a Colored Young Woman Who
Became Quite Famous.
How Poor Slave Girl Secured an Educa-
ton Which Enabled Her to Develop
Her Natural TaIents-Her Adj
miratiOn for WashIn gton.
boston HERALD

Ex-Mayor Samuel A. Green. of the
Massachusetts Historical Society, has pre-
sented the Phillis Wheatly Club. a society
made up of colored women Of the Charles
Street A NJ. e. Church, with a framed
portrait OF the remarkable African girl
who lived in Boston in 1851 Phillis
Wheatly was stolen from Africa, her ma
tive land, by slave trader, and brought to
this city in the year stated above At that
time slavery existed IN Massachusetts. and
Boston was an active slave market. When
she reached the Puritan City, she bore no
name at all She was kept for long time
with other stolen Africans, in the market
quarters, but no purchaser came to look at
her. Finally, one day, Mr.. John Wheatly,
an old and respectable Boston merchant,
who was then the owner of number of
slaves, bought her for his wife. 1t was not
because he had no women among
the number of slaves which he
already possessed. On the contrary,
there were three or four, but they were
fast becoming decrepit, and could not
perform the domestic work of Mrs. Wheat
ly. Moreover, Mrs. Wheatly for q long
time had fondly cherished the idea of Sc
curing colored maiden to train her up to
become sort of body servant. So after
consulting Squire Wheatly, she took a
could find. In q group Of women there
stood slender-forncd girl, whose fea-
lures betolened slight indisposition. The
phrsiognomy was very interesting study.
Mrs. Wheatly perceived it, and speedily
bargained for the slave girl.
With little delay the African waif was
placed in her new mistress chaise and
driven to the house. She was poorly clad
indeed. she hardly had on any garments
Reaching her new home, she was quickly
attired in new clothes. Her age was about
seven years. She was not many years in
the household of the Wheatlys before she
showed Sims Of possessing extraordinary
intelligence, and was often seen making
an effort to form characters on the wall
with any thing that would mark. Mrs
Wheatly had a daughter who took great
pains TO teach her the alphabet and how to
write. She rapidly grew in knowledge
and became the object of much interest
among the leading ladies of Boston. In
Inc, Phillis Wheatly, who had been given
that name by Mrs. Wheatly some time be-
fore that, was admitted member of the
Old South meeting house, whose pastor at
that period was Rev. DR. Sewall Phillis
was now in her sixteenth year, and had
become quite a literary character. Sho
had mastered the Latin language and at
tracted the attention of the literati of the
day. She gave evidence of possessing
eminent poetic ability, and Mrs. Wheatly
took care that she enjoyed all the advan-
tages which would thoroughly develop it.
She highly improved the chances given
her, and published 4 book of poems, which
was extensively read, both In the colonies
and in England. Pbillis was not only
verse writer, but a prose writer. The
patriots of the revolution had
been inspired more than once
with the burning words of the
young African girl. She was, as has al
ready been said, slender and delicate
form. Her constitution was very frail,
and the climate of America tended to
make her less robust and healthy. Early
in the winter of I573 she was so poorly
that her medical attendant urged her to
take a trip to Europe. She was placed in
the care of Mrs. Wheatly's son, who was
then going on to England to transact some
business. Phillis had often been in the So
ciety of the distinguished men Of the colo
mics. Such men as Dr. Benjamin Frank
lin, John Hancock, Harrison Gray and
others knew her intimately, and she was
frequently their guest. She was also on
intimate terms with General Washington,
and often wrote him letters in which she
would put a verse or two mooestly eulogiz-
ing him The following is letter to her
from Washington:
CAMBRIDGE, Mass, Feb. sS, I776.-Miss
Phillis: Your favor of the Goth of October
did not reach my hands till the middle of
December. Time enough, you will say, to
have given an answer ere this. Granted.
But variety of important occurrences,
continually interposng to distract the
mind and withdraw DE attention, hope
will apologize for the delay, and plead my
excuse for the seeming, but not real, neg
lect. L thank you most sincerely for your
'ollte notice of me in the elegant lines YOU
Incloscd, and however undeserving may
be of encomium and panegyric. the style
and manner exhibit q striking proof of your
poetical talents. in honor Of which, and as
tribute justly due TO you, would have
nblished the poem had 1 not been appre-
hensive that, while / only mean to give the
world this new instance of your genius, 1
might have incurred the imputation of
vanity This, and nothing else, deter
mined me not to give 1t in the public
prints.
''If you should ever come to Cambridge,
or near headquarters, should be happy
to see person so favored by the muses.,
and to whom nature has been so liberal
and benefcent in her dispensations.
Il am, with great respect, your obedient
servant, GEORGE WASHINGTON"
Distinguished people from Great Britain
while visiting Massachusetts were pre-
sented to her, and they spread her fame
At home and throughout Europe. SO, on
her arrival in London, in the summer of
l773, she was warmly received by the En-
giish people. Phillis was presented to
many Of the notable personages at the
court of st. James, among whom was
George III. While in England her book
If poems was first published and given
10 the world, dedicated TO the
Countess of Huntingdon, and en-
oellishcd with an engraving, which
is said 10 have been 4 striking representa-
ton of the original" Durin g her stay in
that country, information reached her that
Mrs. Wheatly was very i'll and expressed
desire to see her before she Mrs. Wheat
ly) passed away. Phillis forthwith re-em-
0arked for Boston. She had not been with
her devoted mistress and patron long be-
fore the latter passed from earth. A short
time after the demise of Mrs. Wheatly, a
colored man named Peters, who kept a
grocery store on Court street, asked Phillis
TO become his wife. He was talented and
polished person. and had the appearance
IF being worthy of her. She accepted his
0vertures and an alliance was formed.
Peters subsequently demonstrated that he
was utterly unworthy of suc:l a woman,
and she finally died of a broken heart